Two new investors are interested in the green hydrogen market in Mauritania. They are the German company Conjuncta and Infinity Power, a joint venture between the Egyptian energy company Infinity Energy and the Emirati Company Masdar. In a consortium, the two companies have just signed an agreement with the Mauritanian Ministry of Petroleum, Mines and Energy for the production of green hydrogen and its derivatives in the country.
Conjuncta and Infinity Power will set up a green hydrogen production plant in the north-east of Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania, in several phases. The 1st phase will have an electrolysis capacity of 400 MW and is expected to be operational in 2028. The two partners will build a complex capable of converting 10 GW of clean electricity into green hydrogen and its derivatives, including ammonia and other fuels.
Hydrogen for Export
“We are extremely proud to have been able to agree this project with the Mauritanian government. It will have a strong link with Germany, both as a technology provider and as a potential supplier of green energy. This is by far the largest bilateral investment project ever and we look forward to making it a success that will attract much more business between the two countries,” says Stefan Liebing, Conjuncta’s CEO.
The German company and its partner Infinity are expected to invest over the next few years in developing a production capacity of 8 million tonnes of green hydrogen per year for the international market. According to Infinity, the project is expected to create 3,000 jobs during the construction phase and a further 1,000 during the operation phase.
In Mauritania, Conjuncta and Infinity join another consortium, formed by the British energy company Chariot and Total Eren, the subsidiary of the French oil company TotalEnergies. The two companies are implementing the Noor project, which involves the construction of solar and wind farms in the Mauritanian desert with a combined capacity of 10 GW. This clean electricity will be converted into green hydrogen via electrolysis. In order to realise its project, Chariot has obtained a 14,400 km2 plot of land from the Mauritanian government, on which pre-feasibility and feasibility studies will 1st be conducted.